The aim of the study was to evaluate the functional properties of the Lactic acid bacterium
Lactobacillus
plantarum
DGK-17 isolated from
Kimchi
-a traditional fermented Korean food, and to assess its antimi-
crobial and cell-invasion protection activity. Nutritionally improved DGK-17 showed antimicrobial ac-
tivity, checked
via
agar well diffusion assay against several pathogenic microorganisms and showed
enhanced antimicrobial activity against target microbes
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
03K711 and
Klebsiella
pneumoniae
05K279. Bactericidal activity of DGK-17 Cell-free Culture Supernatant (CFCS) was evident
from the decreased growth of
P
.
aeruginosa
03K711 and
K
.
pneumoniae
05K279. Altered membrane
integrity was observed in scanning electron microscopy which indicated that CFCS acts on cell mem-
brane of bacteria leading to a cell burst. CFCS also acts on DNA as shown by the DNA damage study. Our
auto-aggregation, co-aggregation and adhesion studies indicated that DGK-17 prevents colonization of
pathogenic bacteria thereby limiting their infection. Also, DGK-17 is able to survive under low pH and
high bile salt conditions
e
a simulated gastric juice environment. Ef
fi
cacy of DGK-17 to protect HCT 116
colon cells against
P
.
aeruginosa
(03K711) and
K
.
pneumoniae
(05K279) invasion suggests its role in
protection of host cells from such infections. Finally we conclude that
L
.
plantarum
DGK-17 has a strong
probiotic potential, antimicrobial activity and a potential for invasion protection.